Improved hydro-steam engine



VILLIAM BAXTER, OF NEVARK, NEV JERSEY.

IMPROVED HYDRO-STEAM ENGINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15,056, dated June 10, 1856.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM BAXTER, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful machine which I call a Hydro-Steam Engine,77 of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View; Fig. 2, a vertical section, and Fig. 3 a horizontal section taken at the line A a of Fig. 2.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Letter A represents the bottom or water chamber, which contains a double turbine wheel, as shown at O and N; also four footvalves, (represented at Q Q Q QW.)

Letters B B are two vertical steam-tight cylinders that communicate with the hot water-chamber A. These cylinders contain two hollow 'globular iioats that are clearly shown at M and M.

Letters C C are two smaller vertical cylinders, the bottoms of which form the tops of the cylinders B B. There are also twohydrostatic piston-valves placed in the cylinders C C', as shown at t t.

Letters E E represent the vertical pistonrods.

Letters D D are the horizontal steam-passages, and G G the continuations of D Dl into the steam-chest H.

Letter J represents the exhaust passage from the steam-chest.

Letter L is the horizontal slide-valve in the steam-chest, which is operated by the quadrant (or circular plates) F F when forced up by the piston-rods E E'.

Letter O is the outer or movable turbine wheel, which revolves around the stationary or guiding turbine wheel N. (Shown at Fig. 2.) Each wheel has two sets of buckets, one set right and the other left, (with a dividingplate between then1,) for the purpose of kreversing the motion, the second or reversed set of buckets being concealed by the sluicering P.

Letters P P represent the cylindrical sluices, the width of which is sutlicient to cover one set of buckets on the outer wheel, at the same time covering the corresponding set of buckets in the inner or fixed wheel. These cylindrical sluices are connected by means of rods to the spider P, that is attached to the gatestem which is operated by the lever.

Letter R is the hub of the movable turbine. S is a stationary hub, the large end ot' which forms a head in one side of the water-chamber, and supports the main shaft, at the same time keeping the turbine in its place.

The stationary turbine, it will be seen, is attached to and on one side of a vertical partition, A', which divides the water-box A, and this partition extends around the base of the two cylinders B B', so as to form two chambers, B B, one under each cylinder. The partition on both sides of each chamber B and B is provided with ports for the passage of the water, to which ports are fitted the foot-valves Q Q Q Q', so hung that the water can enter each chamber through one valve and pass out through the other valve, as indicated bythe red arrows in Fig. 3. The iioats M M and valves t t are attached to rods tted to slide for a short distance on the lower ends of the pistons on the rods E E', and the pistons are pierced with holes or ports for the passage of steam, which holes or ports are governed by the valves tt on the iioats. The

chambers A, B, and B are filled with hot water in any suitable manner from the boiler until it rises in the main cylinders to about half their height. When steam is admitted by the steam-pipe I to the steam-chest, it will pass down the passage G and D to the small cylinder O, and passing through the holes in the piston fitted thereto, and will force down the valve t and enter the cylinder and make pressure on the surface of the water in the main cylinder B, and thus force the water through the valve Q, causing it thereby to take a direction, as indicated by the arrows,

through the turbine, giving it the required powers; thence through the valve Q and to rise in the cylinder B', and when it gets to the required height it will force up the float M,

close the valve t', and then force up the small piston until its rod E acts upon the sector F to shift the valve, by which the direction of the action of the engine is reversed by establishing the communication between the steamway G and the exhaust-port J to exhaust the cylinder B, a't the same time to admit the steam to the other cylinder in the same manner and force back the water, and in returning to cause it to pass through the foot-valves, so as to give it the same direction through the turbine. In this way the mass of water is caused by the alternate pressure of steam, iirst in one cylinder and then in thcother, to force the water out'oi one cylinder into the other, and vice versa, and as the turbine is interposed between the two the water is caused to pass through, and thereby cause it to rotate with a power due to the steam-power applied. The air-vessel k communicates with the hot-water chamber A, and by reason of the elasticity of the contained air acts as a regulator to continue the motion as the pressure on the water is reversed. Vhen it is desired to reverse the rotation of the turbine, it is only necessary to slide the sluices P P' to shut off the water from one set of buckets and let it onto the other and reversed set.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that instead of the two sets of buckets the motion can be reversed by reversing` the gearing on the shaft, and thereby dispense with one set nf buckets, but I prefer the use of the two s ets of buckets. And :it will also be obvious that one part of my invention can be applied by substituting any other kind of wheel for the turbine, although I prefer the use of thc turbine as being in my judgment the best adapted to the purpose.

Instead of causing the steam to act directly on the surface of the water in the cylinders, it may be made to act on pistons fitted to the cylinders or on iieXible diaphragms interposed between the steam and water, in which cases the piston or diaphragm rods can be made to act at the end of the upward strokes on the sector-levers F F, or equivalent means, to shift the valves, as the mode of shifting the valves makes no part of my invention.

It will be obvious that without changing the principle or niodcof operation of my said invention a variety of changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts by the substitution of equivalent means.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The method, substantially as described, of imparting rotary motion to a wheel or wheels by the pressure of steam or other equivalent expanded gas acting alternately on the opposite one of two columns of water or other liquid connected together to cause the said water by such alternate action to pass through and impel the wheel or wheels, as set forth.

VILLIAM BAXTER.

TWitnesses:

WM. II. Bisi-lor, Criss. A. VILsoN. 

